To Catch a Falling Star
by Chibi Koneko
Summary: WK x SM; Schwarz is after someone named Ren Tsukino, who works in an auto repair shop. Ken needs his bike fixed, but Aya won't give him a break. And on top of it all, this mechanical whiz is close to suicide. Kinda interesting, ne? Pairings unknown.
1. To Find a Bright Star

Yes, this is Koneko with yet **another** fic. Go me. This is actually longer than what I usually write, especially with HTML. Yay for me! Please be advised that I have NOT seen _Weiss Kreuz_, so some people may be a bit OOC. Note that since their thoughts are hidden during the series (at least I think they are -- well, not from Schuldig, anyways), thoughts are not considered OOC by me.  
  
Disclaimer: There's a lot this time. *BIG breath* _Weiss Kreuz_ belongs to Takehito Koyasu the Great. The characters from _Cowboy BeBop_ that are mentioned and/or have cameos are owned by Yadate Hajime. The (inexact) quote from _Romeo and Juliet_ is owned by William Shakespeare. The random songs are not owned by me. The first two are obvious (even tho the second isn't exactly a song...). The third is in the American version of _Sailor Moon_ and is sung by Raye (Rei). The fourth is from the anime _X_, _eX Dream_. It means "You are star light." Who knows who wrote the last one?  
  
There is a scene in here that was inspired by another fic, but I cannot remember which fic or who wrote it. It's the reference to Schuldig and his ethnicity (German vs. people calling him Austrian). In the other story, I think it was Polish though. I think it's funny that an assassin would care so much about what people think about where you're from. ^^ If the author reads this, please tell me; I will either give you credit or take down that portion if you so wish.   
  
I am well aware that the only senshi mentioned in this chapter other than Usagi are Haruka and Luna (even tho she's not technically a senshi...). They WILL arrive later; don't worry.  
  
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_To Catch a Falling Star_  
  
Chapter 1: To Find a Bright Star  
  
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Some say that a person's life is ruled by the stars. When a star falls, a person is leaving the green Earth of men. When a star shines brightly, a good soul is happy or has made a great accomplishment.  
  
Stars are ethereal, eternal, omniscient. Solid, crystalized forms of souls are called "starseeds." Senshi and their planets are referred to as stars. Stars guided humans before compasses were invented; they lead us even now toward the future. Star-crossed lovers... Well, we know what those are. "Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore wert thou Romeo?"  
  
_Twinkle, twinkle, little star...  
  
Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight...  
  
Oh, starry night... Is he my one true love?  
  
Kimi wa star light!  
  
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket;  
Save it for a rainy day.  
Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket;  
Never let it fade away._  
  
~Your star-crossed lover is _your_ falling star.  
_Never let it fade away..._  
  
************  
  
"Wake up!" a loud voice bellowed from the hall. "Schuldig! I'm not joking! Get UP!"  
  
The source of Loud Voice's irritation was completely wrapped up in his sheets on an enormous king-sized bed. A large, calloused hand peeked to the surface out of the mess. "Ngghh..." murmured the owner of said hand. _Braddie-kins, _why_ are you waking me up at such an ungodly hour?_ he questioned telepathically.  
  
_It's almost noon,_ the man answered, obviously irritated. _And don't call me that. We have a mission from Mr. Takatori, so hurry up._ With that, he turned to leave.  
  
Schuldig groaned at the sunlight streaming through his window before smirking cruelly. _And _Braddie-kins_, it's Takatori-_san_; this is Japan, not the United States of freakin' America._ (AN: This is from Schuldig's point of view, not mine. I happen to be a very proud American. Of course, I happen to like -san more than mister... -_-*)  
  
Crawford wanted to stomp down the hall like a snot-nosed bratty child, but he managed to restrain himself. Instead, he replied, _At least I'm not from Austria._  
  
_I'm _GERMAN_!_  
  
Crawford waited to chuckle evilly to himself until walking down the stairs (no one would notice his OOC-ness there).  
  
************  
  
Usagi yawned as she pulled herself out of bed. 'Another day to work all day for almost nothing,' she mentally groaned. She casually ran a hand through her rather messy short silver hair. "Luna!" she called. "Hey Luna, I'm up! Can you start my shower water?"  
  
"It's already done, Usagi," the black feline replied as she bounded into Usagi's bedroom. "You need to hurry if you want to get to work on time. You are now--"  
  
"--nineteen years old and need to act like it," Usagi finished for her while rolling her eyes. "Am I ever late anymore, Luna?"  
  
The lunar cat sighed in defeat. "No, you're not."  
  
"And is it truly that important?"  
  
"Not compared to some... things."  
  
"It's too bad we didn't realize that earlier, ne?"  
  
"Yes, it is.  
  
************  
  
"Greetings and salutations to all," Schuldig declared as he walked into the meeting room of one of Takatori Reiji's many mansions. "How is everyone on this fine spring morning?"  
  
Nagi fought the urge to roll his eyes at the red-headed German. "It's the middle of autumn," he deadpanned, "and one o'clock in the afternoon."  
  
"Ah," Schuldig replied, "but the horrible birds are singing as if it was spring, and it's not the afternoon until I've had both breakfast, which is to be eaten in the morning, and lunch, which is to be eaten at noon. Seeing as I have had neither, and 'afternoon' is exactly as it sounds -- after twelve noon -- then it is not yet afternoon. It is now officially one o'clock in the morning."  
  
Everyone (except Crawford with his block and Farfarello, who does not care) mentally groaned. _I heard that,_ Schuldig told them with his mind, _and I don't appreciate it very much._ He plopped down in a chair. "So what's with this meeting?"  
  
Takatori cleared his throat. "Crawford has made a recent... discovery with his insight." He inclined his head to indicate that Crawford was to continue.  
  
"There is a certain person," he began, "that is the difference between victory and defeat. If we get to this person first and convince him to join us, then we win. However, if Weiss were to get to him first..." he trailed off. "It would be unpleasant, especially with Abyssinian's sword in your lungs."  
  
_Katana_, Schuldig corrected the American, who waved him aside.  
  
"So what is his name?" Nagi inquired.  
  
Farfarello licked his knives with glee. "Will using him as a weapon make God cry?" No one answered him.  
  
"We know his name and where he works," Crawford broke the silence. "Ren Tsukino works at BeBop Auto Repair. It's just a few blocks down from Koneko no Sume Ie. I could not, however, find a picture of him."  
  
"Something that the magnificent Oracle couldn't find?" Schuldig drawled. "Alert the media." Crawford's glare would have succeeded in shutting him up if the telepath had not seen it so many times.  
  
"So why do we need to find him in such a hurry?" Schuldig inquired. "Weiss won't know his worth even if they saw him once an hour, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week." He turned to Takatori. "Your brother Takatori Shuichi, also known as Persia, is also a bit slow in the news. After all, he did have horrible taste when choosing members for Weiss."  
  
Crawford desperately wanted to sigh. "The problem is that according to our data, Tsukino is mentally unstable. Not quite like Farfarello," he glanced at the Irishman, "but his soul is a bit shaky. Judging from my visions, he's about two steps away from suicide. We have to get to him before he goes over the edge."  
  
"So it's not really a race against Weiss," Nagi noted. "It's a race against Tsukino's mind."  
  
************  
  
"My bike is refusing to run," Ken complained as he was fixing a flower arrangement. "And with my 'job,' I don't have the time to find out what wrong, much less fix it." Ken had been complaining about this for weeks, but Aya would not let him take a couple days off to work on his precious motorcycle.  
  
"You could take it to that repair shop down the street," Omi called. "I heard that there's a genius there that even Tenou Haruka trusts with his bike."  
  
"Why didn't you mention this earlier, Omi?" Ken demanded. "My bike's only been under a cover for three weeks!"  
  
Omi blinked. "You must've talked about it when I was in school or something because this is the first I've heard of it." Ken groaned.  
  
"I heard there's a hot girl that does paperwork there," Yohji noted. "Maybe I can escort you to that shop. We wouldn't want you to get lost, would we? By the way, what's its name, Omi?"  
  
"BeBop Auto Repair, I think."  
  
************  
  
Usagi hummed to herself as she began work on the bike Haruka had gotten for her. It was a "piece of junk" to most others, but she would have it running in about a week, and it would be at optimum performance in another week. Usagi liked mechanical work; it kept the hands busy and the mind away from more depressing issues. 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You" blared from a nearby radio.   
  
She smiled softly as she heard someone come in. 'More business has been in here since Haruka brought her bike here for me to fix before that big race... She knew that we needed the revenue. Good ole Kaze.'  
  
************  
  
The four Schwarz members walked into BeBop Auto Repair right before the shift change, five o'clock. Nagi kept a tight hold a Farfarello; there was no need to unnecessarily frighten Tsukino away.  
  
A balding man was behind the desk, doing the crossword puzzle. He seemed to have a mechanical arm. A child (whose gender was undeterminable) was hacking on a computer while wearing strange-looking goggles. A dog began to bark at the intruders.  
  
"Ein!" the man snapped. "They're not enemies! Go bark at something threatening for a change." He turned to Schwarz. "Sorry about that. My name's Jet Black. How can I--"  
  
"Hey, Jet!" a voice called from the second floor of the building. A rather shamelessly dressed young woman looked out at the group. "Have you seen Spike?"  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"The guy with the fuzzy hair," she answered sarcastically. Jet rubbed a hand over his smooth head subconciously and glared at her. "Vicious just called looking for him. I think he and Grem (AN: I **think** that's spelled right...) needed some help."  
  
"I think he's on a date with Julia," Jet answered. "Why don't you try his cell phone?"  
  
"Because he has it turned off."  
  
"Then I guess he doesn't wanna be interrupted," Jet commented dryly. "Now if you don't mind, Faye, these people have been waiting." Faye rolled her eyes (AN: I seem to have peepz doing that a lot in this fic, ne?) and walked away.  
  
Jet turned to the group once again. "Now how may I help you?"  
  
"Actually," Crawford stated, "we're looking for someone with the name Tsukino."  
  
"Ah," Jet said. Then he turned around and called, "Oi, Ren! You've got company!"  
  
A head popped up from underneath the hood of a Honda Accord, which was promptly shut. Piercing black eyes stared ahead at Schwarz as if sizing them up. It was a young woman, perhaps nineteen or twenty, wearing blue jean overalls with a loose black sleeveless shirt underneath, exposing lean-muscled arms. Short silver hair poked from under a backwards black baseball cap. "Yes?" she asked, raising one delicate eyebrow. "I'm Serenity Tsukino. You wanted to speak with me?"  
  
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How was that? It's a bit longer than what I usually write. Please R/R for me to continue!  
  
~Koneko 


	2. To Convince an Unwilling Star

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! *jumps up and down happily* Ya'll will never believe what happened!! I applied to that school I mentioned earlier (in one of my other stories, I think), and I got invited to an interview! According to most people, the hard part's over! *grabs chibi Ran and starts to dance around with him* Nothing can get me down from this high!! *large piano falls on head* Mmmmphh... *chibi Fluffy-sama rescues Koneko while Ran laughs his @$$ off* Well, since Fluffy rescued me, I'm still okay!! *glares at chibi Ran* *mutters* Some mighty assassin you are... And Aya is always saying how loyal you are... *grumbles some more*  
  
I know I said that _Captive_ would be updated next, buuut... *shrug* I had inspiration for this instead. ^.~   
  
Disclaimer:  
Ran's hair is red;   
Crawford's is blue.  
If I can't own,  
Then you can't sue!  
  
Warnings: Uh, it might be a bit OOC, but it's hard to tell sometimes. I've finally started watching _Weiss Kreuz_ *glomps Lizzi*, but I'm only about halfway through, sooooo.... yeah. The senshi don't make an appearance **quite** yet, but they'll get here soon, so don't fret. ^^  
  
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_To Catch a Falling Star_  
Chapter Two: To Convince an Unwilling Star  
  
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Usagi had walked to work according to her daily schedule. She clocked in and worked all day except for lunch and the occasional bathroom break. Her day ran normally until just before her shift ended.  
  
Tsukino Usagi never had people visit her at work. Haruka would come around every once in a while, but she went straight under the hood of a car or to a motorcycle unannounced. So, naturally, she was surprised when Jet mentioned visitors.  
  
"Oi, Ren! You've got company!" She frowned. Who would be coming by the shop at this hour just to see her? Usagi quickly closed the hood of the car she had been working on in order to get a good look at her "guests."  
  
There were four of them. The oldest had blue hair and glasses; he appeared to be the leader from the postures of the members of the strange group. The man behind him wore semi-long orange hair in a yellow bandana and had glasses perched on his head. He looked as if a smirk would be natural on him. There was a lanky silver-haired man next. His scarred body and single golden eye gave him a glazed look. Maybe that was just the way he was looking at her. The last one was a boy about fifteen years old. His eyes and stature, however, made him seem older. All four of them seemed shocked at something, and it only took Usagi a few seconds to realize it was she that they were gaping at.  
  
"Yes?" Usagi asked while quirking an eyebrow at the quartet. "I am Serenity Tsukino. You wanted to speak with me?"  
  
The bespecticled man was the first to come out of his stupor. "I am Brad Crawford. Is there someplace where we may speak privately?  
  
Usagi nodded and replied, "It's the end of my shift anyway. Just give me a few minutes to shower and change." Crawford quickly agreed, and she headed to the back of the shop and the showers.  
  
************  
  
_Braddie-kins, she's a girl.  
  
Yes, Schuldig, I am aware of that fact.  
  
What are we gonna do?  
  
What we originally planned. The fact that Tsukino is female changes nothing at all.  
  
Oh, but she looks so--  
  
No, Schuldig.  
  
But Brad!  
  
No.  
  
You're no fun. By the way, did you know that blue hair is **so** out of this season. Maybe you should try pink next. I can help you go shopping for a new hair color if you want me to...  
_   
Crawford severed their mental connection. Schuldig chuckled to himself. Things were finally beginning to get interesting.  
  
************   
  
A few minutes later, Usagi came back from the showers. She was wearing baggy silver cargo pants with a loose black leather belt that fell slightly off her hips, a tight long-sleeved black shirt, and high-heeled lace-up boots (AN: Imagine Sailor Jupiter's boots, but hers are black, and if you were to see the whole boot, they would go up to her knees). Her short silver hair was spiked in the back, but her long bangs were gelled and tucked smoothly behind her ears.   
  
"Are you ready?" Crawford inquired. She nodded again and followed him out of the shop and saw the waiting car; she once again quirked an eyebrow. Crawford answered her unspoken question. "My employer wishes to speak with you privately, but he is not within walking distance."  
  
Usagi adamently shook her head and smirked. "My mother always told me to never get into a car with a strange man. You, on the other hand, want me to get into a car with four. I must know more before I go anywhere with you. The shop is usually quiet this time of day; it will suffice for what you need to tell me." She turned around and walked back into the shop with the others trailing behind her. Schuldig, Crawford, and Nagi noted that Jet was missing from behind the desk.  
  
_She's no fool, Crawford,_ Schuldig murmured quietly in his mind. _This is going to be harder than we thought.  
  
Can you _convince_ her to come with us?_ Crawford replied.  
  
Schuldig replied by trying to pry in her mind. Note the word "trying." He could not locate her mind at all; it was as if it did not exist. Even Farfarello had a mind, even if it was a bit disturbed.  
  
"If you want to know something, just ask. I may not answer, but it **is** the polite thing to do."  
  
Schuldig started violently. "What are you talking about?" he replied smoothly.  
  
She merely smiled. "You know what I mean. Feigned innocence will get you nowhere with me." She turned to Crawford. "What is it you wish to speak with me about? It will be easier on everyone in the long run if you just tell me."  
  
Schuldig opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud shout. "Schwarz!"  
  
************  
  
Aya had not trusted Yohji and Ken to go directly to the shop and come straight back, so he decided that all of Weiss would go to this auto shop after closing the Koneko for the night at five o'clock. Yohji complained the whole time about not "needing a baby-sitter", but Ken was very happy that Aya was finally allowing him to get his precious bike fixed. Omi was feeling that something was wrong, but he decided to keep this feeling to himself. 'After all,' he told himself, 'it's probably just me being silly.' He added another thought, 'And I doubt that neither Aya nor Ken would listen. Yohji wouldn't either, so it's better that I don't say anything.'  
  
They arrived at BeBop Auto Repair and glanced inside. What they saw shocked them. "Schwarz!" Aya shouted.  
  
Schwarz gaped at them in shock (or as close as the team could get to gaping), but the young woman with them seemed unfazed. Her gaze lingered on Omi for a moment before turning to Crawford. "Friends of yours?" she inquired with a mocking sort of tone.  
  
Crawford glared at her a moment before answering, "Not exactly friends..."  
  
She smiled. "I see." She turned to Weiss and noted Ken's motorcycle. "I suppose you're here on shop business?" Ken nodded. "Well, my shift is over, but I can put you and your bike in the computer for tomorrow. It will be well taken care of here." Ken handed his bike over mutely, and Usagi went to work on getting all the paperwork done. After she finished, she went back to the two groups only to see how they glared at each other. Schuldig was smirking, and Aya looked very angry.  
  
Usagi sighed. "What did I tell you about going into someone else's mind without permission?"  
  
Schuldig looked like a deer caught in headlights before putting his smooth facade back on. "You only mentioned that I should stay out of **your** mind, Tsukino. You never said anything about anyone else's mind.  
  
"I said that it's not polite to enter someone's mind without permission and to ask questions instead of invading another's privacy. The mind is a very fragile thing. Of course, the soul is much harder to keep stable, but let's be grateful that only one person I know of has the power to influence **that**.  
  
"Who?" Usagi only smirked in reply. Schuldig sighed. "Fine, I see how it is."  
  
"What are you doing here, Schwarz?" Aya growled dangerously.  
  
"If you must know, we are on a mission for Mr. Takatori," Crawford stated.  
  
"Takatori-_san_," Schuldig muttered under his breath towards the American. Crawford glared at him.  
  
"Why don't you tell me what kind of mission this is?" Usagi questioned. "Especially since it seems to concern me."  
  
"I was before I was so rudely interrupted," Crawford answered while glaring some more at Weiss (AN: There seems to be quite a bit of glaring going on, ne? ^^). "Is there someplace we can talk that is more private?"  
  
Usagi glanced at Weiss before turning back to Crawford (AN: Again...). "It's getting late now. I'll have to meet you tomorrow." Crawford opened his mouth to protest, but Usagi held up her hand to stop him. "My decision," she deadpanned. "Besides, Luna is going to kill me as it is..." she muttered. "And then I've got to meet at Rei's temple with the other girls... Rei's going to kill me too..." She continued to mutter for a moment before giving the others her attention again. "I will contact you tomorrow."  
  
Before giving them time to react, she grabbed a helmet and jumped on a motorcycle. She was gone in picoseconds. (AN: For those who don't know, 1,000,000,000 nanoseconds make up a second -- it's 10 to the 9th power -- and 1,000,000,000,000 picoseconds make up a second -- it's 10 to the twelfth power.)  
  
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*phew* Sorry that took so long. There's no guarantee how long it will take for the next one though... *dodges random objects being thrown* Ouchies!  
  
~Koneko 


End file.
